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Apple Topped Cake – A moist, dense and super delicious cake that is just perfect for baking with in-season apples!
I’ll share a little secret with all of you today…up until about two weeks ago, Jack and I had been without a fully-functioning oven in our kitchen since the beginning of May!
Our almost-10-year-old gas range starting acting up a few months ago – so we knew it was time to buy a new one. The new range we selected took a little over a month to be delivered…but no problem – it was the beginning of the summer so who wants to turn on the oven anyway!?
Then a BIG delivery mix-up (that’s a loooong blog post for another day!) delayed things until the middle of June. THEN – we discovered that the oven temperature in our brand new appliance was way off, and food wasn’t baking in anywhere near the time that it should. (Still OK…we shared lots of delicious grilled recipes with you all, like this one, and this and this – no oven required!)
So after three visits from the appliance repairman and numerous replaced parts over the last three months…we finally (finally!) have a fully-functioning oven! And now…I’m baking up a storm…including this Apple Topped Cake! This is a moist, dense and super delicious apple cake that is another perfect way to bake with in-season apples – and it’s really easy to make too!
A sweet (but not too sweet) cake flavored with hints of orange juice and vanilla is topped with cinnamon-coated apple slices which bake up into a wonderful golden, mahogany color that is gorgeous to look at, as well as delicious to eat! A sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving also helps make the apple design standout on top this very pretty cake.
Adapted from a recipe originally clipped from The Boston Globe newspaper, this apple topped cake is a variation of a cake that cookbook author Julie Riven
’s mother used to make.
What kind of apples should I use for baking this Apple Topped Cake?
The authors recommend making this cake with apples that remain firm after baking such as Cortlands, Macouns, Ida Reds, Jonathans, Empires, Baldwins and Rome Beauties. We also used the Honey Crisp variety in our apple topped cake with great results!
You might like these other Apple recipes:
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Apple Topped Cake
Apple Topped Cake – A moist, dense and super delicious cake that is just perfect for baking with in-season apples!
Ingredients
- Butter (for greasing the pan)
- Flour (for dusting the pan)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 apples, peeled, quartered and sliced (we used a mix of Honey Crisp and Cortland but any apple that stays firm after baking will work for this recipe)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon mixed with 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 9-Inch Springform Pan
, tapping out any excess flour. Set pan aside. - In the medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk until well blended.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until smooth (do not over mix), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure that all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.
- In a bowl, toss the sliced apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well-coated.
- Arrange the apples all the way around the edge of the cake so that the rounded side of the slices are standing up and the pointed end of each slice is pressed into the batter. Following the same method, make additional inner rows of apples (depending on the size of your apples, this could be one or two rows) until the entire top of the batter is filled in with apples.
- Bake the cake for 1½ to 1¾ hours or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry. (The skewer might be slightly sticky from the apples, but there should be no wet batter on the skewer.)
- Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then release the cake from the springform (use a knife around the sides of the cake if necessary to loosen it from the pan).
- Cool the cake completely and dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
, tapping out any excess flour. Set pan aside.Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
I just made this cake. It was super easy to put together. But 1.5 hours seems a little long to bake? I just pulled my cake out after 1 hour and it’s pretty hard on top (toothpick comes out clear). Baked at 325 on middle shelf.
Thanks Tracy – I suppose every oven is different and I’m glad you were watching to see when the cake was done! (The next time we make this cake, we’ll confirm the baking time too!)
WOW…too pretty to eat! But actually sounds quite easy to make, looks delicious 🙂
Thanks Nancy – it is very easy!
This looks so good! I hope to be going apple picking soon. The weather has been absolutely perfect lately.
Thanks Christine!! Fall is my favorite time of the year…
Hi Martha! I have been looking for an easy apple cake recipe, and this looks like the one especially for somebody like me who is not a very good baker. Now just have to buy a springform pan and go apple picking. Thanks!
Oh yay! I hope you like the recipe Virna!